Construction machinery often times requires braking systems that incorporate fail-safe mechanisms. As a safety precaution, these mechanisms prevent shaft rotation when the machinery engine is not operating thus preventing machine and/or tool movement when the machine is shut down. A typical fail-safe braking mechanism uses springs to urge braking discs against rotating discs when no hydraulic pressure is being supplied to the system. When the engine is running, hydraulic pressure is supplied to annular pistons, which in turn compress the fail-safe springs and allow the shaft to turn freely.
Due to design and cost constraints, it is sometimes desirous to minimize the size and weight of the fail-safe brake. Some prior art braking systems have accomplished this by eliminating the end plate which typically closes the brake housing, thereby eliminating a portion of the weight and size of the brake. Brakes utilizing this design then use a part of the vehicle body to complete the brake enclosure. While such designs accomplish the goal of reducing brake size and weight, such makes brake installation more difficult, as the assembled housing and end plate holds the various components together during shipping and mounting. Prior art fail-safe brakes that do not include an end plate often require complex assembly procedures, as special care must be taken to align all of the brake components. Also, without the end plate it is difficult to install the brake assembly on a horizontal shaft because the components, such as discs and springs, tend to become disassembled in this orientation.
In view of these problems, it is evident that the need exists for a fail-safe brake system which eliminates an end plate but which maintains the integrity of the brake assembly before and during installation.